6 Places Home Stagers Always Shop for Art

When it comes to looking for the right piece for your place, nobody knows where to shop better than a home stager. These are the people who spend their days making homes look their absolute best to help their clients score a sale. Here’s where the two home stagers I spoke to say to hit when you’re looking for art to spruce up your home.

Online-only retailers such as Overstock and Wayfair have an extensive library of art in many different styles and sizes, according to Alice T. Chan, stager, designer and project director at Freemodel, a pre-sale home renovation company. You’ll just have to know what you’re looking for — and be willing to wait for it to arrive. “These resources will require more planning as you’ll have to wait for things to ship to you,” Chan says.

Facebook Marketplace can also be a treasure trove for wall art and frames available for resale in your local area, according to Chan. Of course when meeting up with strangers to pick up your purchase, you’ll want to make sure you’re following safety precautions. Check with your local police station to see if they have spaces designated for online purchases transactions. 

Heather Caine, former HGTV “House Hunters” designer and co-founder of home staging company KW Style to Design, says you can normally get a great deal on original art when shopping on Etsy. She adds that’s partly because most of the work you’ll find there is sold by the artists themselves. You can find contemporary artwork in all kinds of mediums — and vintage buys, too.

Another great place for finding art is actually a surprising one, according to Caine. She likes scrolling her Instagram feed to find inspiration. “By searching the style of art you are looking for (Abstract, Modern, Contemporary, Impressionism) you can quickly find a vast array of unique artworks to choose from.”

Some artists that have had gallery representation, an auction, or museum credentials opt to list their work for sale on websites like Artsy or LiveAuctioneers. “When looking for art on more advanced platforms such as Live Auctioneers or Artsy, you are often searching for works by the artist’s name,” Caine says. “On Artsy, you can also search for art by medium (print, painting, photography, works on paper) and also by price and size.”

While you may be able to find a great deal online (and from artists around the globe) there are a few things Caine says you’ll want to keep in mind. “Just note the photos of art online can be enhanced to make the quality of the piece look its best,” she says, adding that you’ll always want to make sure wherever you’re shopping has a decent return policy in case your new art looks nothing like what you were expecting. 

Chan recommends sizing up when ordering online, especially when it comes to ordering digital prints. “Purchase the highest resolution available and have them printed immediately at your local photo print shop,” she says of prints. “Remember, go big! Inexpensive frames from IKEA are a godsend in these cases.”

This piece is part of Art Month, where we’re sharing how to find, buy, and display art in your home, and so much more. Head on over here to see it all!